You say no experience. Is that with motors and machinery in general, or just with tractors? That'll make a difference in the advice. No experience at all suggests limited tools and equipment. All very do-able, but you'll need some stuff.
As for manuals, either the IH Blue Ribbon Service Manual and/or the I&T IH-8 manual will be what you need. If this is your only tractor, start with the former.
Short version, the biggest challenge may be just getting the tractor split so you can get the motor off. This will require an engine hoist or a chain fall, jacks and wood blocking. There are splitting stands to be bought for this purpose, or you can make your own. The general approach is that you start dismantling the tractor from the front, and you need to have adequate,sturdy support to keep the rest of it from falling to the floor and breaking parts and bones.
General order of work? Before you do anything, check the compression on all four cylinders to get a sense of whether or not you'll need to address pistons, rings, sleeves . . . Take the head off first and get it to a shop for a good going over. Then, once the motor is off, remove the clutch and flywheel, and get the crank off to a shop for turning and cleaning. (Have the shop that turns the crank supply the new bearings.) At that point, you'll have a choice to make about how much you want to do yourself. You can pull the pistons and sleeves and redo them with new or leave them and have your machine shop evaluate them. (This is where the compression readings will come in handy.) Where you've had that knock going, I'd suggest that the crankcase go to the shop in any event, if only for a good hot tanking to get out any bearing filings. Take it to the same shop that has your head, and they can plane either or both if necessary to address any warping while they have them.
With the knocking, it might also be advisable to have a shop check out the wrist pins on your rods for wear, as well.
Best advice is not to be intimidated by it. There was a lot of engineering went into the design ofthese old tractors, but most of the work on them is a matter of assembly and disassembly, and most of that can be done with a good set of hand and socket wrenches, adjusting, fitting and checking as you go. (You'll note the absence of Phillips head screws!) And all the assembly you can certainly do yourself. A machine shop may be a good idea , if you haven't the experience or tools, to measure and evaluate things like the condition/fit of cam and the pistons, sleeves and rings.
This doesn't BEGIN to cover everything, but if you go through the motor methodically, it can make for a rewarding and worthwhile project.
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Today's Featured Article - The Rescue of a Fordson F - by Anthony West. Introduction I live in the UK and have for many years restored Fordson tractors (in the main model N's). I have also restored and shown model F's, E 27N's, Field Marshall Series 2, David Brown Cropmasters and the old rey Fergeson T 20. At one time I had seven restored examples which were shown and used in ploughing matches. As most restorers, I have a number of war stories I can relate on a range of topics that may help other like minded and interested people. Perhaps my first p
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